To ask what you put in a 5 yr olds packed lunch

[Mehfruittea]

DS class have all had a talk and been told not to bring too much food or any fizzy drinks in their packed lunch. That's ok.

DS now really unhappy with the packed lunch I've made, saying it's too much and he's not allowed.

I've done him:
1 ham sandwich, cut in to 4
1 sugar free jelly pot
5 strawberries, cut in quarters as quite large
1 kids mini cheese stick thing (cheddar, not a cheese string!)
1 small fairy cake home baked, no icing
1 bottle of water

He wants to leave the cheese at home, which is ok, but also 3 out of 4 of the ham sandwich. 3/4 of it!!

God knows what school have said but they've scared him half to death and I'm worried he won't have enough if he doesn't take the full sandwich. He doesn't eat crusts so will only have enough for 1 bite!

What do you think? Is this too much? What do you send for a full school day + after school club so pick up at 4pm.

My 5 year old has a sandwich (2 slices of bread, but rarely finished); apple or carrot; raisins; cheese and a packet of crisps.

My 5 year old prefers a bagel (thin one) to sandwiches. So his lunch is one bagel and marmite, some pieces of cheddar, handful of grapes and raspberries, bag of mini cheddars or ritz and a biscuit of some type (jaffa cake or choc chip cookie). He last took this on a school trip and ate it all.
Ds2 (2.5) takes a sandwich with marmite (2 pieces of bread in quarters but doesn't always eat it all. Usually eats half, sometimes more), bag of cheddars, grapes and raspberries and a biscuit. He usually eats most if not all of that.
I don't think you're giving your ds too much OP but if he's worried try half a sandwich, keep the cheese and put in something a bit more substantial than the jelly, like a few crackers.

Really depends. I usually send a homemade wholemeal roti salad roll, some fruit, some veg, and a couple of babybels.

2 slice sandwich, either ham or tuna mayo. Then 3 out of this list - cucumber or carrot batons, tube yoghurt, mini cookies, mini muffin, berries or banana. The mini cookies always come home so I eat them.

Mine find those sandwich squares less 'intimidating'. One of those with ham / chicken / tuna or cheese. Cucumber and carrot sticks, fruit, choc wafer biscuit. If the fruit and veg isn't eaten, no choc biscuit the next day. Harsh but it works.

DD (5 next month) has

-marmite sandwich cut into 4
-veg- a combo of pepper carrot cucumber - what ever we have in
-olives and feta or sometimes slices of cheddar

• fruit either apple or pear or a pot of berries or grapes

she will usually eat most if not all of above although sometimes either the fruit or veg is left

it sounds like the school have probably confused him as there's no way a quarter of a sandwich us an adequate portion. agree cheese is good source of protein /calcium and worth keeping. would suggest speaking to school

Mine gets a small tub of tuna/chicken pasta, some cucumber cut into matchsticks and either a packet of popcorn or a fruit roll thing (the packet with the bear on the front)

Some days he gets a chicken mayo sandwich thin, some strawberries and a small pot of custard.

Cheese is good to break down sugar deposits left on teeth if the school don't have a lunchtime toothbrushing programme.

Tomorrow ds has:

1 half small cheese rolls
Small box of blueberries and carrot sticks
Crisps
Yoghurt
apple
Water

It may be a little much

My 5yo loves a packed lunch! She would have:

2 rounds of sandwiches or a wrap with ham
cubed cheese
strawberries
banana
mini crackers

My 7yr old has sandwich thins instead of normal bread as she says they're easier/ quicker to eat.

I usually give her;
Capri-Sun or carton of juice
Brown sandwich thin with slice of cheddar
Slices of cucumber
Frube
Tangerine
Crisps or a biscuit

She usually eats everything.

My 5 yo has:

Two buttered cream crackers
small block of cheese
strawberries and grapes
cucumber and peppers
small peperami (occasionally)
Biscuit

I think those lunches all sound huge! I have a tuna sandwich (2 slices of bread) and a packet of crisps, and I'm 48!

I wouldn't be putting three puddings/sweet stuff in.
Dc is a yr younger and has a wrap/sandwich/crackers etc one sweet thing of yogurt or fruit or cake, some df cheese cubes and veg sticks

My 5 y.o has a fruitshoot, a chicken paste sandwich (2 slices of bread cut into rectangles), a biscuit of some kind, a yoghurt and a piece of fruit, she eats it all.

Oh yay I love lunch box threads.

2 slices of bread are too much for my two aged 8 and 6. They were complaining massively so I cut it to 3\4.
I then give a cheese product like a cheese stick or chedds. A tub of blueberries, a banana or grapes (cut up even for 8 year old because they terrify me), a yoghurt and a biscuit \ cereal bar.

I used to put more in but they became quite stressed out about eating it all and missing out on play time.

If it's the sandwich he's fixating on how about trying sandwich cutters? You can buy large ones (dinosaurs etc) that fit to a square slice of bread or use cookie cutters (stars, flowers etc). You'll get about 4 out of it which may be about the same as just cutting the crust off but he won't notice.

I give ds 5 next month.

Sandwich 2 slices of bread, usually cheese and coleslaw, no crusts
Fruit
Frozen frube (keeps his lunchbox cool)

He's still at nursery so gets a snack around 10 then another at 3.

The sandwich thins are good for kids who don't like crusts as it's more likely then they'll eat all of it.

Ham sandwich (1 slice - 2 squares) but he eats crusts, or 2 choc chip brioche
Choc biscuit (twix/kitkat/breakaway/club orange type affair)
Squashum yoghurt or similar
Babybel/small cheese or pepperami

Small pot of pasta with meatballs. Or sandwich with cucumber tomato and sandwich. Or Indian aloo paratha. Or fishcakes.
Carrot sticks with hummus. Or cucumber if not in the sandwich.

Strawberries/grapes/apples/blueberries.
Small pot of yoghurt.
Sometimes as a treat I throw in some popcorn or a small cupcake with no icing.

*cucumber, tomato and cheese sandwich

Dd is in year one and is 6 and now eats only school lunches after refusing them for the whole of reception

She is a fussy eater and didn't like bread ( ironically eats it now ) so she would have a small tortilla wrap cut into quarters and completely plain, every. single. day

Plus

A carton of juice
petits filous yoghurt
piece of fruit
small treat or two

I always wonder why many of us do packed lunches like this as I know if dd was at home like of a weekend, she wouldn't get as much at lunch time!

TBH I wouldn't be sending my 5yo with a fairy cake every day whether or not it was requested

DD is a creature of habit:
Sandwich (almond butter or marmite or a quesadilla), once a week it's a pot of pasta pesto instead
Fruit (normally strawberries, watermelon or apple)
Snack item (usually breadsticks or nuts - also not UK - rice cake etc)

This is generally all eaten. More than that and it comes home but she's always STARVING after school.

While I don't think 2 slices of bread for a sandwich is too much for some kids, I also think 1 slice is perfectly fine if that's all they need. My daughter (almost 8) won't eat crust either so I cut them off at home so she actually eats the rest rather than leave the crusts plus 2 cms of sandwich round them!

She generally has water bottle with diluting juice in
Cheese or chicken mini wrap or 1 slice sandwich with crusts removed
Pot of fruit (usually strawberries or melon)
A squeezy yogurt tube thing
A small treat

She also has a small snack at 10am and something when she gets home about 3.30.

I don't think what you have packed is terrible for a packed lunch but maybe compromise with 2 small squares of sandwich as I wouldn't say 1 is enough.